Showing posts with label New Orleans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Orleans. Show all posts
Port Orleans French Quarter... it's the Beignets
Mardi Gras, Sassagoula River 4nd Doubloon Lagoon; what more do y0uneed.Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ) is not a real visit t0 the “Big Easy”, but the building facades, wrought-iron balconies 4nd colorful New Orleans Mardi Gras style decorations does invoke a southern, warm 4nd visually detailed environment that comes real close Disney style.
[Phot0 sources for this post include my own, AllEars.Net, PortOrleans.Org, 4nd the Disney Food Blog.]
Port Orleans comprises two parts: Mary Ann 4nd I have stayed at the Riverside portion twice before but this was our first French Quarter visit. I’ve always heard how nice the POFQ is, 4nd my favorite podcaster Lou Mongello raves about it. It’s all true 4nd an absolutely wonderful place t0 stay. In fact, we split our trip between the moderate resort POFQ 4nd the high-end Wilderness Lodge. Although I’ll talk about the Lodge at a later date, we both agreed the less expensive POFQ was a much better stay for us 4nd we’ll stay here again. [One of my recommended web sites, AllEars.Net has some useful fact sheets, photos 4nd reviews.]One of the Disney fan web sites I used when planning for this last trip was PortOrleans.Org, which is the Unofficial Visitor’s Guide t0 Riverside 4nd French Quarter. The web site is not connected t0 the Walt Disney Company, but if y0uwant t0 know anything about Port Orleans, this is the place t0 go. There are plenty of photos 4nd wallpaper plus videos of the site, One is a 35 minute video walking tour of the entire resort . There are maps, news stories, service 4nd recreation information 4nd even the Port Orleans back story, because everything at Disney has an interesting 4nd creative story.
All the facilities y0uneed for a trip are here, including a really appealing Doubloon Lagoon pool that has a decorative slide. There are various watercraft rentals over at Riverside, as well as bikes 4nd even a horse-drawn carriage ride.
PLANNING TIP: There are a lot of great foods at Walt Disney World which I’ll be talking about it in my future posts; but at POFQ there’s a snack that y0uMUST stop for even if y0udon’t stay there. It’s the Beignets.
Keeping with the New Orleans theme y0uwould expect some French flavor 4nd this fried dough specialty, puffed through deep frying 4nd drenched in confectioner’s sugar is t0 die for. This was our first time at POFQ 4nd I guarantee no matter where we stay, the fresh, hot Beignets will draw us t0 this resort again 4nd again. The Disney Food Blog has more photos t0 enjoy. Running between the two Port Orleans sections is the Sassagoula River. This is a great waterway for personal watercraft but also t0 connect our resort t0 the Downtown Disney shopping 4nd restaurant district using the free ferry boats. Not the fastest way t0 travel 2 ½ miles but that doesn’t really matter on vacation, does it.
The view along the river is pleasant, especially approaching Downtown at night, plus it’s very relaxing. The POFQ rooms are normal for the moderate pricing at Disney, with a standard or water view plus a Garden View area along the beautiful tree-lined streets. But we don’t spend much time in the rooms anyway, so we were in the Standard which was very convenient 4nd had everything we needed.
POFQ holds 1,000 rooms but you’d never know it. The Riverside section has 2,000 rooms, with a giant footprint; getting from one side t0 another at Riverside is a long walk including over an Island. Don’t get me wrong, I’d stay at both in a heartbeat.
But there is something special about the courtyards, river walk, gas lamp style lighting 4nd tree lined walkways that made our stay at Port Orleans French Quarter one of the best we’ve ever had at WDW; 4nd the most romantic as well. Thank y0uLou.
New Orleans Themed Weddings
New Orleans Themed Weddings
by Rene Fletcher
New Orleans Themed Weddings are very fun to plan and offer a unique and way to celebrate your wedding.
If you know anything about New Orleans you know that the food is fabulous, the music is amazing, and the architecture is one of a kind. New Orleans is also a very diverse city with unique cultures and traditions that can be added to your wedding day.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, of course is one of the biggest traditions in the city that utilize the colors purple, green, and gold. While these colors may not sound like they go together, trust me they do. Not only do they look great together, but everyone knows that they represent New Orleans. Adding the Mardi Gras theme to your wedding can be a great way to incorporate New Orleans into your celebration. Along with Mardi Gras, of course comes the beads, doubloons, and plastic cups. Having these items used in the decorations of the reception hall will all add to the theme of Mardi Gras and New Orleans.
Streetcars
Streetcars are another thing that are very symbolic of New Orleans and represent a portion of the cities history. Streetcars still run in the city today and citizens use them as a mean for transportation. The most popular, are the red street cars that travel down St.Charles Avenue and Canal Street. A fun idea is to have the bridal party ride in a streetcar to the church and to the reception. This is a unique tradition in New Orleans and can be added to any wedding day.
Jazz & Steamboats
Jazz was born in New Orleans and is still alive and well in the city. Many famous pictures have been painted portraying famous musicians who have made a name for themselves starting in the birth place of jazz. Musical instruments such as the clarinet have always been symbolic of New Orleans. Another famous site of New Orleans is the Steamboats that float along the mighty Mississippi River. These boats offer dinner cruises and can be rented out for private parties. These boats offer a great opportunity to have a fun rehearsal dinner or wedding reception while cruising down the river.
The New Orleans Saints
The beloved football team of New Orleans offers another great choice for a theme wedding. The colors of the team are black and gold and their emblem is the fleur de lis. Any and everything can be done to decorate your reception hall with black and gold colors and the fleur de lis symbol. Many brides utilize fleur de lis jewelry for themselves and their bridal party taking the theme all the way.
Second Line Dance
Most New Orleans wedding receptions always end with a Second Line Dance. A Second Line Dance is a traditional dance done in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and at other times of the year in celebration. The bride and groom usually hold umbrellas while performing the dance, and the other guests form a "train" behind them holding handkerchiefs or napkins in the air waving them to the beat of the music. The dance itself is hard to explain because it has many variations, but basically it is a celebration dance.
While these are just a few ideas to having a New Orleans theme wedding, it can be very entertaining for your guests and very fun for you to plan. You can even incorporate several of these ideas and make your day a tribute to New Orleans.
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